The Mole: Legendary rugby league coach Roy Masters recalls airline theft amid David Warner's baggy green plea

Rugby league coaching legend Roy Masters played a major role in stopping items from going missing during air trips four decades ago - but isn't surprised that David Warner's priceless baggy greens have gone missing.

Masters, who was also a journalist with The Sun newspaper in the 1980s, was incensed when a bottle of $1 coins was stolen from his luggage during a trip to Port Douglas.

"This was the days before mobile phones and I took all the coins because I knew I would have to make calls from phone booths from up there," Masters, now aged 82, told Wide World of Sports.

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"I was filthy at losing them and did a bit of an investigation.

"(Now defunct airline) Ansett who I flew with wanted nothing to do with me - they wouldn't even return my calls.

"Ironically, QANTAS were great - they helped me out and even put cameras in their cargo holds.

"The cameras revealed that there was a ring of six or seven baggage carriers who were working together, rifling through suitcases and taking passengers' valuables."

Masters wrote the story, which made front-page news around the country.

"They (the baggage handlers) all got the sack and that was some comfort but clearly something is going wrong again as far as Warner's caps go," he said.

"I hope he gets them back - but we will probably never know what happened to them."